Guide to the John R. Dwork Tape Collection
MS.345
Finding aid prepared by Nicholas G. Meriwether
University of California, Santa Cruz
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
(831) 459-2547
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
2014
Note
This collection was minimally processed. Additional prcoessing should detail the contents of each tape.
Title: John R. Dwork Tape Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS.345
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
20 boxes
16.5 linear feet
Date (bulk): Bulk, 1966-1995
Date (inclusive): 1963-1999
Location: Collection stored off-site at NRLF: Advance notice is required for access.
Abstract: This collection of 692 cassette tapes was created by John R. Dwork, a well-known Deadhead author, editor, and publisher. The
collection primarily documents the range of recordings available to Deadheads before the advent of digital media and the Internet.
The comprehensiveness of the collection and the range of sources from which it is drawn document the effort required to amass
such a collection as well as the highly coveted, distributed, and comprehensive nature of the band’s music corpus. Errors
in attribution and metadata, and degradation in sound quality over successive generations, attest to the difficulties in compiling
a thorough and accurate tape collection. The last two boxes of recordings are interviews conducted for publication in
Dupree's Diamond News or for quotation in
The Deadhead's Taping Compendium.
creator:
Dwork, John R.
Processing Information
The collection has been divided into two sections, performance recordings and interview recordings, and sorted by date.
Acquisition Information
The collection was donated by John R. Dwork in 2011.
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research. Audiovisual media is unavailable until reformatted. Contact Special Collections and
Archives in advance for information regarding access.
Biography
John R. Dwork graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, where he founded the Hampshire College Grateful Dead Historical
Society, a tape-trading and Deadhead social club that sponsored a newsletter. He went on to work with Peter Martin on
Terrapin Flyer, a Deadhead newsletter, which preceded his cofounding of
Dupree's Diamond News, a major Deadhead fanzine. He coedited the three-volume
The Deadhead's Taping Compendium (Holt/Owl, 1998-2000) and went on to cofound Peak Experience Ltd., a concert and event promotion company.
Preferred Citation
John R. Dwork Tape Collection, MS 345. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa
Cruz.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights of the interviews are retained by the narrators
or their heirs. All music by the Grateful Dead is controlled by the band or its designated licensee. For more information,
please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Scope and Content
The 692 cassette tapes comprising this collection include performance recordings and interview recordings. Performance recordings
are primarily of concerts by the Grateful Dead along with some studio sessions. Some early, pre-Dead performances are also
present.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Grateful Dead (Musical group)
Box 1
Performance recordings, 1963-10/10/1968
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 1 - 36.)
Box 2
Performance recordings, 10/12/1968 - 5/23/1969
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 37 - 72.)
Box 3
Performance recordings, 5/24/1969 - 12/12/1969
Physical Description:
35.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 109 - 144.)
Box 4
Performance recordings, 5/24/1969 - 5/2/1970
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 109 - 144.)
Box 5
Performance recordings, 5/2/1970 - 11/6/1970
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 145 - 180.)
Box 6
Performance recordings, 11/6/1970 - 9/29/1971
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 181 - 216.)
Box 7
Performance recordings, 9/30/1971 - 4/24/1972
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 217 - 252.)
Box 8
Performance recordings, 4/24/1972 - 7/26/1972
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 253 - 288.)
Box 9
Performance recordings, 7/26/1972 - 11/14/1972
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 289 - 324.)
Box 10
Performance recordings, 11/18/1972 - 4/1/1973
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 325 - 360.)
Box 11
Performance recordings, 4/2/1973 - 9/26/1973
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 361 - 396)
Box 12
Performance recordings, 10/19/1973 - 6/2/1974
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 397 - 432.)
Box 13
Performance recordings, 6/8/1974 - 6/3/1976
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 433 - 468.)
Box 14
Performance recordings, 6/4/1976 - 9/29/1977
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 469 - 504.)
Box 15
Performance recordings, 10/29/1977 - 1/15/1979
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 505 - 540.)
Box 16
Performance recordings, 1/15/1979 - 3/25/1985
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 541 - 576.)
Box 17
Performance recordings, 3/27/1985 - 8/22/1993
Physical Description:
36.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 577 - 612.)
Box 18
Performance recordings, 3/23/1995 - misc.
Physical Description:
22.0 cassette tapes
(Nos. 613 - 634.)
Box 19
Interview recordings
Physical Description:
28.0 cassette tapes
Box 20
Interview recordings
Physical Description:
30.0 cassette tapes
